Perceptions of the arrival of Buddhism in Japan

Third Thursday Lectures
Thursday 18 Jan 2018
|
6 PM

Weston Room
Norwich Cathedral Hostry
Norwich NR1 4DH

Dr Simon KanerSainsbury Institute and University of East Anglia

About the Lecture

This talk will discuss the different ways the ‘arrival’ of Buddhism in Japan in the mid 6th century AD has been seen over time by a variety of observers, artists and other specialists, and the impact of recent archaeological excavations on understanding the adoption of Buddhism in Japan and its East Asian context.

The subject of this talk relates to a new exhibition project that Simon is developing to be held at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia in 2020. The exhibition will be comparing the appearance of Buddhism in Japan and the adoption of Christianity in north-western Europe – the arrival of world religions at the extremities of the Silk Roads.

About the Speaker

Dr Simon Kaner is Director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at the University of East Anglia and Head of the Centre for Archaeology and Heritage at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. He is an archaeologist specialising in the prehistory of Japan. His recent publications include An Illustrated Companion to Japanese Archaeology (edited, with Werner Steinhaus) (Oxford, Archaeopress, 2016) and he is currently editing the Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Korea and Japan. He is Co-Editor of the Japanese Journal of Archaeology, Series Editor for the Archaeopress series Comparative Perspectives on Japanese Archaeology and Series Co-Editor for the Springer series The Science of the History of Humanity in Asia and the Pacific. He is currently directing a project on Global Perspectives on British Archaeology (www.global-britisharchaeology.org).

To book your seat, please go to the booking form or email the Sainsbury Institute

About the Third Thursday Lecture Series

The Third Thursday Lectures hosted by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures are on a range of topics related to the art and culture of Japan. Talks begin at 6pm (50-minute lecture followed by refreshments). Speakers are all specialists in their field and the talks are intended to be accessible to those with no prior knowledge of Japanese history.

Admission is free and all are welcome. Booking essential. To book your seat, please go to the booking form or email the Sainsbury Institute